Embassy Of Canada In Korea / Zeidler Partnership Architects

Architects: Zeidler Partnership Architects
Location: Seoul, South Korea
Area: 81,055 square feet
Cost: $19 million
Completion: 2007
Client: Foreign Affairs Canada
Photographs: K. Kwan

Koreans and Canadians share a reverence for nature. The design of the Canadian embassy aspires to express that common link. The building is fortunate to share a site with a 500-year-old tree, a living symbol of nature. The embassy’s entrance plaza is a gathering place, with the tree as its focus.

The building, composed of two blocks tied together by a base, forms an undulating mass framing the tree. The massing and skin of the building are inspired by impressionist images of the Canadian landscape. The west block is the mountain_a majestic and simple form in the tradition of Lawren S. Harris. The east block is the forest birch bark trunks, vertical elements, creating a natural rhythm against the sparkling sky; an image inspired by Canadian impressionist, Tom Thomson.

In an established residential neighbourhood close to Seoul’s City Hall and the Duksoo Palace, this new 7,530 sm embassy provides a permanent home for the Canadian mission in Korea. The west block houses seven floors of residential accommodation while the east block accommodates seven levels of Chancery offices. The base uses warm materials in a soft inviting form to welcome the Korean public into the ground floor reception area, lobby, and large public function rooms.